Car-door lock



2 Sheets-Shoot l abtmmgk NOV- 10,

w. E. WINE CAR noon Lock Filed 0. .1924 2. sheets-snai a F wx vk .3

Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

'VIILL'IAM WINE, or rou ine, onro.

CAR-D003 LOCK.

Application filed December 20, 1924. Seria1No.-'757,129.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known .that 1, unner E. W'rmx, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo,in the countyof Lucas and State-of .Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Door Locks; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to gondola cars and more particularly to looking or securing means for the doors thereof, and is particularly adapted for use with that type of car in which wide doors are provided so to permit rapid discharge of the lading.

The principal object of the invention, generally considered, is to provide a simple, strong, and efficient locking means for the wide doors of straight-side gondola cars.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a structure of the type above described, door supporting arms so located and positioned as to adequately reinforce and strengthen the drop doors and at the :same time having their extremities so positioned as to cooperate with a unitary bracket carrying a plurality of door arm engaging members.

still further object of the invention is to provide door supporting and locking means adapted to be applied to a straightside gondola'car without interference with the structural features thereof.

More specifically stated, the object of the invention is to provide a drop door holding or locking means in which use is made of a pair of oppositely arranged hooks coacting with a pair of door arms and mounted within a single bracket device capable of being secured in place without any interference with the-diagonal braces on the sides of the car, in case such braces are present.

Another object of the invention is to provide door arms of such shape and arrangement as to be located comparatively far apart where they are secured to the door and having portions extending comparatively close together so as to cooperate with the hooks arranged in proximity to each other and mounted upon a common supporting bracketstructure, the wide separation of the arms where secured to the door providing ample load sustaining and. supporting mea s :to its seat.

A further object of the invention the provision of a unitary bracket structure carrying a pair of oppositelydisposed' hooks and also carrying locking cams cooperating with the hooks for holding them against movement subsequent to their engagement with the door arms, said bracket structure being further formed to provide fulcrum means for a suitable pry-bar whereby the door may be forced to its seat or into fully closedposition so as to be properly engaged by the hooks.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a reinforcing or wear member adapted to be mounted upon the free end or edge of the door to form a bearing for engagement by the'pry-bar when one is employed for the purpose of forcing the door An additionalobj ectof theinvention is to provide a structure of the character mentioned in which the various parts are readily capable of installation without involving any material alterations or changes in the construction of the car or door itself, the parts furthermore acting to give great strength and rigidity where such is needed so that 'the efiiciency and durability will be greatly increased. 7

To these and other ends, :the invention consists in the arrangement and combination 'to be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure l'is a plan view of a portion of a gondola car embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the door in its closed position and the hooks engaged with the door arms and locked by means of the cam devices.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be observed that I have illustrated a portion of a gondola car including a body, designated broadly by the numeral 1, mounted upon the usual ,underframe, only the center sill 2 of which is shown inasmuch as it forms no part of the present invention. The car body is represented as including sills or beams 3 to which may be secured whatever sheathing or sheeting is necessary or desired to form the side of the car body. In the particular type of car disclosed the side of the car is strength ened or reinforced by vertically extending side stakes a: arranged at suitable intervals. Furthermore, some cars of the general type illustrated have their sides additionally re inforced by means of inclined braces of channel, I-beam, or other structural shapes arranged between the successive sides stakes 4t and extending from the bottom of one to the top of the next. he car floor, designated by the numeral 6, is here represented as covered or sheathed with metal, indicated at 7, and the floor is of course provided with the usual discharge openings for the lading. In the present instance I have shown a single opening 8 normally closed by a door 9 suitably hingedly mounted, as indicated at 10, for downward opening movement transversely of the car. The door is shown as strengthened by an gular pressed plates 11 suitably secured in place and having portions 12 extending about the side edges of the door. Beneath the door the reinforcing plate members ll are preferably provided with channel portions 13 to give the proper rigidity to the door. As stated above, the door swings downwardly into open position and it is customary among car builders to provide a suitable stop such as that illustrated at lat for limiting the downward movement.

In addition to the upright side stakes l cars of this type are generally provided, at one or both ends, with the usual type of car ladders, the lower step 15 of which is illustrated on the drawings as being attached to or carried by a plate 16. By pro-- viding the offset door arms and a unitary bracket member, as hereinafter described, I am enabled to locate the locking means with reference to the car construction so that interference with the ladder is avoided and permit the use of a simple form of bracket and door arm which may be manufactured without expense for complicated structural features, and which bracket and door arm are easy and simple to attach by the ordinary labor employed in a car building plant.

In carrying out the invention I provide a pair of door arms 17 conveniently of angle bar formation, suitably secured upon the underside of the door 9 as for instance by rivets or bolts 18. These door arms are of angular shape such, for instance, as that illustrated so that the inner end portions 19 thereof will be compartively far apart and preferably parallel while the outer end portions 20 thereof will be comparatively close together and parallel, the intermediate portions 21 converging toward. the outside of the ear.

For cooperation with the door arms 19 I provide a hook assembly including a single bracket member or support mounted upon the side of the car in any de sired manner and having pivoted therein, at 23, a pair of hooks 24: here shown as arranged in opposite relation. These hooks are provided with ledges 25 and 26, the former for the purpose of maintaining the door partially closed and the latter for the purpose of holding the door in fully closed position. Also pivoted within the bracket structure 22, as shown at 27, are locking cams 28 located outwardly of the hooks and engageable therewith for maintaining them in engagement with the door arms and positively preventing any unintentional disengagement.

It is of great advantage to provide means whereby the door may be positively forced to its seat or into closed position and for this reason the bracket 22 is illustrated as provided with fulcrum means for a suitable pry-bar, which fulcrum means may in actual practice be provided by forming the bracket with an opening 29 through which a prybar may be inserted, the lower edge of the opening serving as the fulcrum when the outer end of the pry-bar is swung downwardly for forcing the door up to its seat.

In order that the free end of the door may be strengthened, I provide an angle bar 30 located at the free edge of the door with its vertical flange lying against the edge thereof and its horizontal flange disposed against the under side. This angle bar is shown as extending across the space between the reinforcing plate members 11 and it is preferably riveted or bolted to the latter as indicated at 31 and riveted or bolted to the door arms as indicated at Unless the horizontal flange of this angle bar be recessed into the door it is apparent that the door arms will be slightly oli'set at 33 in order to extend below the angle bar and in engagement therewith. It is likewise true that the ends of the reinforcing bar 30 are slightly ofi'set outwardly and downwardly as indicated at 34 at the points where they overlie the metallic reinforcements 11. The angle bar 30 not'only acts to brace the free end of the door with respeet to the door arms and transverse reinforcing members but also serves as a wear or bearing member receiving the thrust of the pry-bar when the door is forced into its closed position.

In the operation, it is of course apparent that when the door is in closed position, as shown in the drawings, it will fit up against the lower side of the sill or beam 3 with the outer ends 20 of the door arms engaged with the ledges 26 of the two hooks 24. When the locking cams 28 are in position engaging the hooks, as shown in Figure 2, it is obvilit! one that ithe hooks will .be -.fir-1nly locked the door is of course eli'ected by throwing back the .locking cams 28 .and swinging @the hooks 9A outwardly so that they will disengage the door arms. To e'fiiect subsequent closing ot' the door, it .is iirstnecessary that it be pushed up .by any suitable-or desired means until the-door .arms may .be'engaged upon the ledges of the hooks, after which a pry-bar may be inserted through the epening 29 and engaged with the underside of the door so that the door may be pried upwardly to its seat and the hooks arranged with their ledges 2G engaging beneath the door arms.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will be readily apparent that I have thus provided a simple and easily installed means for securing and looking a hopper door, and one which may be mounted in such a manner as not to in terfere with the diagonal side braces or other projections which might be on the side of the car. All the advantages of using a plurality of door arms are had coupled with the convenience resulting from providing a single mounting for the pair of hooks cooperating With the door arms, which single mounting is moreover so constructedas to provide a fulcrum for a pryar used in forcing the door to its seat.

While I have shown and described a pre ferred embodiment of the invention involving certain details of construction and a specific arrangement of parts, it should of course be understood that the disclosure is for illustrative purposes only inasmuch as the right is reserved to make all such changes in the combination and arrangement as will widen the field of utility and increase the adaptability of the device, provided such variations and modifications constitute no departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination with a gondola car, of a drop door therefor, securing means for said door comprising a plurality of hook engaging members and a plurality of hooks, and a unitary bracket for said hooks, said bracket having a portion interposed between said hooks, said portion being adapted to serve as supporting means for a door engaging member.

2. In combination with a drop door, securing means therefor comprising a pair of door arms mounted upon the underside of the door and including portions located comparatively far apart and further including other portions arranged comparatively close together and projecting beyond the side of the car, a bracket structure mounted upon the side of the car, and a pair of hooks pi-votally mounted within @the bracket structure and'ceoperatmg withthe second named portions of the door :arms.

3. In combination with a drop door, securing means therefor comprising a pair of door arms mounted upon the underside of the door and including portions located comparatively far apart and further including other portions arranged comparatively close together and projecting beyond the side of the car, :a bracket structure mounted upon the side of the car, and a pair of hooks pivotally mounted within the bracket structure and cooperating with the second named portions of the door arms, said hooks being oppositely arranged.

4. In a gondola car having a hingedly mounted drop door, securing means for the door comprising a pair of door arms of angular form secured upon the underside of the door, said arms having their inner end portions arranged far apart and their outer end portions arranged close together, a single bracket structure mounted upon the outside of the car at a point opposite the space between the arms, and a pair of hooks pivoted within said bracket structure and cooperating with the door arms for maintaining the door in closed position.

5. In a gondola car having a hingedly mounted drop door, securing means for the door comprising a pair of door arms of angular form secured upon the underside of the door, said arms having their inner end portions arranged far apart and their outer end portions arranged close together, a single bracket structure mounted upon the outside of the car at a point opposite the space between the arms, a pair of hooks pivoted within said bracket structure and cooperating with the door arms for maintaining the door in closed position, and fulcrum means on said bracket structure engageable by a pry-bar whereby the door may be forced to 1ts seat.

6. In a gondola car having a hinged door, securing means for the door comprising a pair of door arms secured upon the underside thereof and having their outer ends projecting beyond the side of the car and arranged close together, a single supporting member mounted upon the side of the car at a point opposite the space between the door arms, and pivoted hooks carried by said supporting member and cooperating with the door arms.

7. In a gondola car having a hingeddoor, securing means for the door comprising a pair of door arms secured upon the underside thereof and having their outer ends projecting beyond the side of the car and arranged close together, a single supporting member mounted upon the side of the car at a point opposite the space between the door arms, and pivoted hooks carried by said supporting member and cooperating with the door arms, said supporting member being formed with an opening defining a fulcrum for a pry-bar.

8. In a gondola car having a hinged door, securing means for the door comprising a pair of door arms secured upon the under side thereof and having their outer ends projecting beyond the side of the car and arranged close together, a single supporting member mounted upon the side of the car at a point opposite the space between the door arms, pivoted hooks carried by said supporting member and cooperating with the door arms, said supporting member being formed with an opening defining a fulcrum for a pry-bar, and a reinforcing angle bar engaging against the free end and underside of the door and secured to the door arms, the bar serving as a bearing member engageable by the pry-bar.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM E. WINE. 

